Getty Saquon Barkley.
History was made on Sunday, September 17, as the New York Giants improved their record to 1-1 with a victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
The game got off to a bad start for the Giants and it looked like a possible repeat of the 40-0 opening week loss against Dallas. In fact, there was an almost identical dropped ball by RB Saquon Barkley that resulted in an interception.
This is wild.
The Giants were trailing 20-0 at halftime thanks in large part to Arizona quarterback Joshua Dobbs who went 12-for-16 for 146 yards passing in the first half and also rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinals scored a touchdown with nine and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter to go up 28-7 and put the Giants into what seemed like an insurmountable deficit.
Down 21 points with less than two quarters to play, Daniel Jones had to start throwing the ball with urgency and that’s exactly what he did. The Giants ended up scoring on all five of their second-half possessions, including four TDs, and won the game 31-28.
Jones’ second-half numbers were historical. According to OptaSTATS, Jones is the only QB in NFL history to throw for over 250 yards, rush for over 50 yards, throw multiple TD passes, rush for a TD and have zero turnovers in the second half half.
In the second half today, the @Giants‘ Daniel Jones:
– threw for 250+ yards
– rushed for 50+ yards
– threw multiple TD passes
– rushed for a TD
– had no turnovers
No other QB in NFL history has done all of that in the second half of a game.
According to Giants.com writer Michael Elsen, this is the third time the Giants have come back from a 21-point deficit to win — first in 1945 against the Philadelphia Eagles and again in 1949 against the Cardinals (then based in Chicago).
The Giants are staying in Arizona until Wednesday before traveling to California for “Thursday Night Football” against the San Francisco 49ers on September 21.
Saquon Barkley Injures Ankle Late in the Game
As the Giants controlled the ball late in the game on Sunday, Barkley got twisted up on an inside run and came off the field limping. Barkley had 17 rushes for 63 yards and 6 catches for 29 yards before the injury. According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the X-ray was negative and an MRI was expected on Monday, September 18.
From last night: Saquon Barkley’s X-ray negative. Some swelling but not believed to be fracture. Initial thinking according to source was “it’s an ordinary (sprain), rather than a high-ankle sprain.”
MRI this AM in Arizona to determine severity + potential time missed.
Via…
Barkley has missed games due to ankle injuries before: three games in 2019 with a right ankle injury and four games in 2021 with a left ankle injury. The injury puts a blemish on an otherwise great moment for the team early in the season.
The fifth-year captain Barkley shared a positive message with fans on social media later in the evening: “Love this team!!! Way to fight !!”
Love this team!!! Way to fight !! 😤🖤
During the postgame press conference, Jones was asked about the Barkley injury.
“It’s always tough to see anyone go down, especially Saquon. He’s a huge piece of what we’re doing,” Jones said. “He’s an important player on the team. So, I know he’ll work hard to get back, get through whatever he is going through. Look forward to having him back as soon as possible.”
Isaiah Hodgins Shares Special Moment With His Son
Was able to give that touchdown ball to my son on his birthday! Thank you God for my little boy and all you’ve blessed me with🙏🏽
Third-year wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins scored a late game-tying touchdown on Sunday and appeared to give the ball to a fan. Turns out that fan was actually his son, who was attending the game on his third birthday.
Hodgins spoke about the moment in a postgame interview and tweeted about it later that night.
@IsaiahHodgins catching a TD and giving it to his son on his birthday is incredible.